US Navy Struggling to Deal With an Onslaught of Hackers

Submarine Screen Door

According to a new internal review, the U.S. Navy is being overwhelmed by a wave of hacks and cyberattacks.

The problem is so bad — and the Navy's cybersecurity so inadequate— that the Navy doesn't even know how much sensitive information has been stolen, according to The Wall Street Journal, which reviewed the 57-page internal report.

"We are under siege," a senior Navy told the WSJ. "People think it’s much like a deathly virus — if we don’t do anything, we could die."

One Way To Go

According to the report, the Navy's lax digital security has jeopardized America's position as the world's military leader. The leaks of classified intel, which reportedly included plans for anti-aircraft missiles that could take down supersonic ships, have senior Navy officials justifiably concerned.

The report says that China has "derived an incalculable near- and long-term military advantage from [the hacks], thereby altering the calculus of global power," according to the WSJ, which reviewed a copy of the report.

Too Cool For School

Hackers have also been targeting the Navy's corporate and academic partners that may have looser security than the military.

"In the era of great power competition, it should come as no surprise that Chinese hackers are targeting academic institutions ripe with valuable information about U.S. military capabilities,"  wrote U.S. Senator Edward Markey in a letter about the hacks.

READ MORE: Navy, Industry Partners Are ‘Under Cyber Siege’ by Chinese Hackers, Review Asserts [The Wall Street Journal]

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